Observations from a life that often seems to travel through the looking glass....

Friday, February 11, 2011

Passports, Dreams, and Memories

Well, this is the first post of my "new" blog.

(Technically, it is a resurrection of the blog that I kept for a few weeks back in 2009, when I hatched several chicken eggs in my bra, after a 'challenge' was issued on backyardchickens.com which explains the slightly esoteric nature of the previous posts.)

I have a number of blogs that I read on a daily basis, and I truly enjoy the snippets of life they reveal and the thoughts they provoke. As I figure out this Blogger software, I will link to the blogs I enjoy, but I'm not there yet! I figured out how to change the blog name and the background and added a picture and a bit of text. A large portion of the Sistine Chapel was finished in roughly the same amount of time several years ago.

I pulled out my passport this evening, only to find that it is expired, (and the picture is of some impostor, at least according to my wretched son) so I need to go and renew it, and also apply for my son's passport. We are throwing around the idea of heading to Europe sometime this summer for sightseeing, meandering around, and catching a concert or 2. Several of the bands my son loves are touring in Europe this summer, and since I still have my flight privileges, it just might be doable if we scrimp and save betwixt now and then, stay in hostels, and implement other creative cost-saving measures.

Passports are like little tiny shorthand memory albums. Each stamp brings back the memories of the adventures you've enjoyed. While I haven't traveled an awful lot, I have been to some unusual places.

'99 Reykjavik, Iceland - we arrived early evening, and after checking into the hotel, I needed a walk. Too many hours on a military transport, packed like sardines, had left me buzzing with energy; plus, I was FINALLY in another country! I had dreamed of traveling abroad, and it just never quite worked out before. I walked along the black volcanic rock beach, listening to the waves crash, and the cries of sea birds. Being that far north, in the end of May, it didn't get all that dark, so I walked a long time in the twilight, enjoying the experience.
'99 Tallinn, Estonia - The first thing that jumps into my mind, is having our flight met by armed military guards. That was not something we saw here in the States until after 9/11. I found it a bit unsettling. The rest of the trip was incredible. I could fill pages of writing, and not do it justice. Tallinn is a fabulous city, having been occupied by many different countries over the centuries, you can "peel" the city like an onion, from the Old Thomas Church and walled Keep in the very center to the modern tech edges, each block bringing you to another change in architecture, a living reminder of governments past. The past and present were trying to resolve themselves when we were there. Someday I want to go back and see how it is doing.
'99 Keflavik, Iceland - I have no idea what Keflavik looks like. We landed in a swirling mass of white snow and stinging ice pellets. The snow and wind buffeted our hotel all night, and in the morning, we took off in a grey icy downpour.

'01 Heidelberg, Germany An odd trip. We spent most of our time on military bases (since we ARE a military band, it does make sense, doesn't it?) which feel exactly like any military town here in the States. U.S. money, McDonalds, and bowling. We did have 1 day trip into the Black Forest, and we stopped at a lovely little town, Triberg, that had the most beautiful park. The park was built around a series of waterfalls, and you could follow the path from the uppermost falls down to the bottom, with wooden bridges spanning the river at several points. There is a unique species of squirrel in that region, red with black tipped tufty ears. We weren't supposed to feed them, but I was unusually clumsy on the trail, and dropped a number of morsels when I spotted one of the little imps. They were totally unafraid, and seemed to know just who was going to provide treats.

I think I shall stop there tonight, so that the post doesn't get to be overlong. Tomorrow I will continue flipping through the stamps and memories.

Where have you visited? What is your favorite place? Where would you like to go someday? Since the comments often prove to be as enjoyable as the blogs themselves, I will leave you with those questions.

6 comments:

I went to Egypt (to see the pyramids) before Sadat was shot by the army. Now that Mubarak has gone, I would like to go back, but hope the place isn't taken over by fundamentalists. I'll let the dust settle.

Whenever my hens had a traumatic event, or were feeling poorly, I gave them special food for a few days. Whether it actually helped, or was merely a placebo for me, I don't know. My hens loved scrambled eggs with tomatoes, sunflower seeds, oats, cucumber, molasses, alfalfa and any other goodies I could round up. I'd also add apple cider vinegar to their water. Sorry to hear that Breeze is still under the weather. What interesting places you've lived in! Cheers!

But I don't want to go among mad people, Alice remarked. Oh, you can't help that, said the Cat. We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad. How do you know I'm mad? said Alice. You must be, said the Cat, or you wouldn't have come here.